By Steven Feldman
(Editor’s note: This is the first in an eight-part series tracking the progress of a well-established, successful retailer that joined Flooring America in April. Each installment will cover a different aspect of how the group has helped the retailer improve its business.)

Dothen, Ala.—Stokes Floor Covering has a rich history in this Southern community. Founded in 1951, the business was purchased in 1978 by Bob Rainey, whose career up until that point had spanned carpet manufacturing and distribution management. “I’d been traveling for years and thought it would be nice to have one place to call home,” he said of his decision to get into retail.

Business was good in this small corner of the world, where homes can sell for $500,000 to the millions. It is home to some of the largest medical centers in the Southeast, and the Dothan Country Club plays host to the Future Masters, one of the most traditionally rich junior tournaments in the world.

But in April, Rainey and his wife, Debbie, made arguably their most significant decision since Bob bought the business: to join a retail group. (“We never needed anyone to teach us how to buy, sell or advertise,” Bob Rainey said. “But over time our growth prevented us from having the time to do the buying.”) And after carefully researching their options, they believe there was only one choice: Flooring America.

“About five to seven years ago we realized our customers needed more,” Debbie Rainey said. “We wanted to make our products more exclusive and our salespeople more competitive against other floor covering stores in terms of pricing.” But at the same time, the Raineys knew they needed to increase margins. “We were working on approximately 32%, which was OK given the volume of business we were doing,” Bob Rainey said. “But we just didn’t see a way to increase that number.”

Debbie Rainey added that they also wanted a more customer-friendly showroom with more selection. “People felt they would have to go to Atlanta to get the selection they can get here now,” she said. “We have a smorgasbord of product we once did not have.”

The Raineys also felt they needed some national name recognition to complement their store’s strength on a local level given that the business serves customers from 17 counties in Alabama, Florida and Georgia. “We needed some type of edge to put us on a level playing field with the big boxes such as Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc.,” Debbie Rainey said. “We wanted to go to another level. Now we are an old kid with a new face. This is the perfect blend.”

The Raineys admit they always had reservations about taking on someone else’s name by joining a group. “I always had an independent attitude,” Bob Rainey said. “But joining Flooring America has not taken away any of our independence. It’s just added to what we already have.”

Although members for less than six months, Debbie Rainey already sees that Flooring America will allow her and her husband to become true business owners. “We finally see a way to have a system in place for everything and everyone,” she said. “When we make the complete transition to all Flooring America offers us, we can become more into management and less into ‘jobs.’ ”

It is safe to say the Raineys have a new opinion of the group concept. “While we originally thought that groups like Flooring America were for newbies and stores that didn’t know what they were doing, we quickly found out you can utilize whatever you want from the program,” she said. “Flooring America offers tons of help for established owners like us.”

For more information on Flooring America, call Bill Hosner at 866.315.8705.